Pneumatic shoe



June 24. 19 24. 1,498;838

J. T. HARRISON, JR

7 PNEUMATIC SHOE Filed March 16. 1923 INVENTOR JTEfrz'sonfi WITNESSES I-BYI ATTORNEYS 7 l-"atemed June 24, 1924.

- v 1,498,838 I umrao STATES. PATENT. OFFICE.

mm mm my, .13", or mamas, nowrn cmonmn.

' 'rn'numa-rrc anon i a lication men larch 1a, was. Serial at. 025,554.

To all whom it may comm." I

' Be it known that I, Jams Tnoms HAR- arson, Jr., a citizen of the United States,

and a resident of Sa hire, in the county of Transylvania and tate of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Shoes, of which the following is a specification. a

This invention relates. general to an improvement in pneumatic shoes,and more articularly to an improvement n shoes having a cushioned ground engaging surface which ma include a pneumatic sole or a pneumatic eel or both.

The ob'ect of the invention is to rovide a shoe 0 this character which is urable, which is attractive in appearance and yet at the same-time h walking properties as eras? in that it absorbs 'al shocks and strains,

while enabling the user to have a firm and ea tread when walking or-ru'nnmg.

ther objects and advantages of the ,m-

vention res de in certain novel features of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will hereinafter more fully described and part cularly pointed out in the appended cla ms, reference being had to the accompan drawings forming part of this speci cation, and m which: 1 Fi re 1 is a view, partly in elevatlon and art yin vertical section, showing the preerred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view with the lower wall or side of the sole removed; and

Figure 3 is a view on line 3-3, of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings wherein forthcsake of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention the numeral 10 designates the shoe which includes an upper 11 which may be constructed in any conventionalmanner of leather, rubber or canvas. The sole which is designated generally at 12, includes a piece or inner ply of leather or other material designated at 13 which is stitched or suitably secured to the upper.

ly or casing 14 of rubber, eather or other fiexible material is secured as by stitching or the like and this casin 14 is shaped to the contour of the sole and heel and 1s sufficiently large to provide a space 15 between this casing and the ply 13. In the part of the shoe wherein the heel is located a block- 16 is arranged so that the space 15 is of To this inner ply 13 an outer practically uniform area throughout. In

the ortion of the space 15 comprehended by t e sole of the shoe and in the ortion of the space comprehended by the eel of the shoe amultiplicity of transversely extending tubes'17 are provided. The tubes 17 are arranged in two series, as shown in Fi re 2, one along each side' of the. shoe an 'are separated along the center line of the sole by a small space 18. The ends'of the tubes'confronting the space 18 areopen but the ends of the tubewhich lie against the vertical portions of the casing 14 are closed and secured to such vertical ortions as by means of glue or other suita le fastening means. Moreover the tubes 17 are secured along their tops and bottoms by cement. or suitable. fastening means to the,

ply 13 and casing 14, respectively, as indicated at 19 and 20 respectively. At a suitable point the casing 14; is provided with an inflating valve 21 which may be of suit able :or conventional construction.. The tubes 17 are preferably made of flexible material preferably inelastic but which may have some limited degree of elasticity if found desirable. v In use the space 15 contains air under pressure which fills the ,tubes '17 and this gives to the sole cushionin properties which relieves the user of the 510s of all shocks in walking and which at the same time enhances the traction between the ground engaging surface of the shoe and the ground. Moreover the sole is of durable construction and of neat and attractive appearance. An important feature of the invention is thought to reside in'the arra'n ement of the tubes 17 and the manner in w ich they'are related to the other elements of the invention .in that they are secured along their tops and bottoms to the ply of leather 13 and casing 14 and it is this feature that holds the parts of the pneumatic sole against deformation when inflated and atefiiciency of the entire device.

I claim: 1.. A shoe having a pneumatic sole including a casing vsecured to the bottom of a shoe and containing air under pressure and a series of tubes arranged in the casing, one along each side of the shoe, the tubes bein spaced along the center of. the casing an having their confrontin ends open and their remoteiends closed, sai tubes 53 I ineaeeo being secured along their tops and! bottoms to the bottom of the shoe and to the casing respectively.

2. A shoe having. a ply constituting a bottom and a pneumatiesole comprising a casing secured to said ly andlspaeeol therefrom to define an air-tight compartment containing air under pressure, series of tubes arranged in said space, one such senes he'- ing arranged along each sideoif the sole, the tubes having their eonfi'onting ends slightly spaced and open and having their remote ends closed, the tops and bottoms of the tubes being secured. to the piy and the casing i'espect1veiy,ani an inflating valve carried by the casing.

3. A pneumatic sole having an air-tight compartment therein and containing aii under pressure and a plurality of tuhes arranged in the compartment, the interior of the tubes communicating with the compartment, said tubes being secured to the opposite Walls of the coin artinent. I

JAMES THQMA HARRISUN, n1 

